The present invention relates to coinjected composite garment hangers, and more particularly pertains to a molded plastic garment hanger constituted from two different plastic materials which are coinjected to form a composite garment hanger. Moreover, the subject invention also relates to a novel method for co-injection molding of plastic materials for the formation of a composite plastic garment hanger.
In the garment manufacturing and retail industry, plastic garment hangers are widely employed for the purpose of shipping and displaying garments. The plastic garment hangers are frequently of the inexpensive ship-on type whereby the garment is shipped from the manufacturer or wholesaler to the retailer while suspended from the hanger. Generally, such garment hangers are inexpensive single-piece or unitary molded plastic structures which are adapted to be either discarded at the time of sale, or returned to the garment manufacturer, or provided to a customer free of charge in conjunction with the purchase of the garment suspended therefrom.
Garment hangers of that type may be simply constructed as molded plastic structures incorporating a unitary plastic or separate metal central hook portion adapted to be suspended from a suitable support, such as a garment rack or the like, with a hanger body having arms extending in opposite directions from the base of the hook portion so as to facilitate a garment to be suspended therefrom. When needed for a specific use, the opposite or distal ends of the body portion or arms may be formed with suitable grip slots or clip members to enable the attachment of various kinds of garments thereto, such as underwear, slips, brassieres, multiple garments, and the like.
The prior art also includes garment hangers for coats, blazers and other heavier garments which are fitted with pads or rubber strips along the shoulder portions thereof, or non-slip adhesive coatings on the pants bar to assist in retaining the garment on the hanger.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,867 to Berkovits discloses a garment hanger having a non-slip strip of resilient material adhesively secured to the shoulder portions of the hanger.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,606,482 to McHugh discloses a rod-type garment hanger having a preformed sleeve of non-slip protective material which is slipped over the rod portions of the hanger to assist in retaining a garment on the hanger.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,058,241 to Craig discloses a tightly braided cover which is plaited around the periphery of a garment hanger to provide protection for the garment and to prevent garment slippage from the hanger.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,020,705 to Garrison discloses a garment clamping hanger which has garment gripping pads molded of a synthetic rubber which has a high coefficient of friction when firmly pressed against a fabric and avoids marking or adhering to the fabric of a garment.
Some prior art garment hangers, such as Garrison U.S. Pat. No. 5,020,705, have incorporated a coating of particles of high friction material such as rubber to improve the garment gripping capabilities thereof. Hangers using high friction gripping pads have experienced several problems. Functionally, one of the major problems has been that of delamination of the gripping pad from the hanger. This problem becomes more acute when the hangers are used for heavy garments and even more so when the hanger is intended for repeated reuse or for transportation where it has to sustain the additional strain of repeated, abrupt, vertical movements often experienced in transit.
Another factor which has materially restricted their use is cost. Making the hanger in two separate operations, that is, first assembling or molding the hanger body and later bonding the garment gripping pads to the body involves labor costs which are not acceptable in the highly competitive hanger manufacturing business. Another factor has been the problem of developing a pad which will provide the necessary gripping function and, at same time, have sufficient body durability and strength to withstand the rigors and demands of commercial usage. Past experience has indicated that rubber pads, either natural or synthetic, which have the required frictional gripping ability are not structurally capable of withstanding either repeated or rough usage. Heretofore, when the material had durability, it lacked the necessary frictional characteristics and vice versa.
The prior art also discloses numerous kinds of apparatus and methods for molding two-component plastic materials by a two-step or co-injection process. However, these have not been specifically applied to the production of two-component or composite plastic garment hangers of the types considered herein.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,416,602 to Neumeister discloses an injection molding apparatus for manufacturing articles from different types of plastic materials, in which a first plastic material is injected into a mold to form a frame member or the like, and thereafter subsequent to cooling and solidifying of the molten plastic material, a second plastic material is injected into the cavity of the mold so as to form an insert within an aperture of the frame member provided by the first plastic material, thereby fusing the plastic materials and forming a mechanical bond therebetween.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,020,705 to Garrison, garment gripping pads of hanger clips are molded substantially simultaneously with the hanger so as to chemically bond with the material of the hanger. The hanger is molded with the front and rear jaws of the clip in an open position. When the mold is closed each cavity in which a pad is to be formed is occupied by a cam. While the cams are occupying the cavities for the pads, the hanger forming resin is injected into the mold to fill the entire mold except for the spaces occupied by the cams. After the resin has sufficiently set, the cams occupying the pad forming cavities are withdrawn (upwardly) and the resin to form the pads is injected through an opening 27. To avoid resin migration, the opening is very small and a tab gate 47 is provided between the parting line and the opening such that when the hanger is ejected from the mold, the resin is sheared by the tab gate from the resin remaining in the conduit.
Similar types of molding apparatus and methods are disclosed in various patent publications, representative of which are U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,621 to Schomblond disclosing a mold for producing composite bodies from different plastic materials, U.S. Pat. No. 4,335,068 to Hemery, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,577,596 to Bullard et al.
The present invention relates to coinjected composite plastic hangers, and a method of coinjection of the composite plastic hangers. Various desirable attributes for hangers may be created in a coinjected composite plastic hanger which are not available to a hanger molded from a single plastic. The composite plastic hanger can be formed with plastic coinjected members such as integrally molded non-slip portions to retain garments on the hangers.
The second plastic material for the plastic coinjected member which is molded into the basic hanger structure is generally produced in the same mold for producing the basic hanger structure through a co-injection method, which is performed subsequent to the initial molding and cooling of the basic hanger structure so as to cause the plastic coinjected member to fuse and bond with the contacting surfaces of the plastic material for the basic hanger structure. This bond may be a mechanical bond, a plastic molded bond, a fusion bond or a combination thereof, depending on the plastics selected, and the relative injection, set and cool cycles and times of the coinjection machine. This imparts a versatility to the construction and utilization of such garment hangers inasmuch as a single mold with a movable core can be employed for forming the entire composite plastic garment hanger construction, and the mold may be modified with regard to the formation of the plastic coinjected member.
For this purpose, the subject invention also contemplates a two-step molding procedure or, in essence, a co-injection plastic molding method whereby plastic materials of different types and/or colors may be readily employed so as to have a first plastic material of a specified type and color form the basic hanger structure, cooled to some extent within the mold so as to at least partially solidify. Thereafter, a mold core is movable into a position which uncovers an injection inlet for a further or second plastic material which may be a different color and/or material type, and through which the second plastic material is coinjected to form the plastic coinjected member with a plume of the second plastic material which extends into and is fused and bonded with the plastic material of the basic hanger structure so as to provide a permanent connection therebetween.
The present invention also provides a coinjected garment hanger having a non-slip plastic material which is molded and bonded to the shoulder portions of the hanger to prevent slippage of a garment from the hanger.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a coinjected composite plastic garment hanger which incorporates a non-slip insert consisting of a second plastic material that is softer and more adherent and stickier than the garment hanger body, which insert is fused to the basic hanger structure so as to form a fused plastic and mechanical bond with the first plastic material constituting the basic garment hanger.